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| FEATURE STORY | 12/01/2009 |
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| Q&A with JANELLE A. RAMSBORG, Manager of Nursing in the Department of Radiology at Loyola University Health System in Illinois and Windy City Chapter President for the ARIN | |
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| Janelle A. Ramsborg, CRN, BSN, MBA, has been a radiologic nurse for six years. She became involved in radiology and imaging after realizing that her skills and personality were perfect for a career in the radiology department. Janelle received her BS in Nursing and a master's in Business Administration. Janelle recently passed her certification exam and became a Certified Radiology Nurse (CRN). She is also the Windy City Chapter President for the Association of Radiologic and Imaging Nurses (ARIN). Currently, Janelle is the Manger of Nursing in the Department of Radiology at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Illinois. Q: What made you decide to become a radiologic nurse? A: I was working in the Neuro/Spine ICU and was frequently in IR for procedures. After several interactions with the technical coordinator in IR—he commented that my skill sets and personality were the perfect fit for his team in IR. After more than a year of persistent wooing, I transferred to IR and have been in radiology for the past six years. During the last six years, I have had the opportunity to cross-train and become cross-functional in all areas of radiology, manage a physician practice/program, and am now a manager for nursing within the Department of Radiology. Q: What kind of facility is Loyola University Health System? A: Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, Loyola University Health System is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus, and 25 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will, and DuPage counties. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 570-licensed bed facility. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center, and the Ronald McDonald Children's Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also, on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart and Vascular Medicine, and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing, and the Loyola Center for Health and Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 250-bed community hospital, the Gottlieb Health and Fitness Center, and the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Care Center. LUMC offers the full spectrum of radiologic and imaging services. Q: When and how did you start at LUMC? A: I started at LUMC in June of 2008. I had completed my MBA in 2007 and was looking for a new challenge in healthcare management. Through a connection at my previous employer, I became aware that the Manager of Nursing in Radiology at LUMC was open. I interviewed for the position and started six weeks later. Q: Typically, what are your day-to-day responsibilities as Manager of Nursing? A: As the Manager of Nursing, I am responsible for all the nurses that interface in Radiology. Nurses are oriented and competencied to work in Interventional Radiology, Interventional Observation Unit, CT, MR, Nuclear Medicine, Breast Imaging, Pediatric Radiology, Diagnostic Radiology, and Ultrasound. I collaborate with all the modality managers to ensure that each area is staffed appropriately. I respond to issues throughout the department to facilitate patient care and throughput. I work on several quality and process improvement projects and monitor their progress daily. Q: Are there other areas of interest for you as a radiologic nurse, either clinically or educationally, that you plan to pursue? A: Interventional Neuroradiology is especially interesting to me with my Neuro/Spine ICU background and management of a Neuroendovascular Program. I continue to learn as much as possible about each of the modalities and how we can advance radiology through nursing. I am very involved in the Association for Radiologic and Imaging Nursing and am the Windy City Chapter President. I lecture on topics related to Teamwork, Conflict Management, and Management, both in and outside of nursing. In the near future, I plan on pursuing a PhD in Organizational Development. Q: What are the greatest challenges you face? A: The greatest challenge of my job is balancing and prioritizing the needs of all the modalities. With nurses located in every area of our large campus, it can be difficult to congregate nurses for communications and meetings. Q: What do you like most about being a radiologic nurse? A: I love the variety that radiology nursing provides. Each modality provides a different service and diagnostic capability. I work with a great team of radiology leaders. Working on a multidisciplinary team that relies heavily on each other for the collective success of our department, is inspiring. We have the privilege of touching patients throughout their entire disease process. The greatest thing about radiology is that it is technology forward and innovative. I have had amazing opportunities of working with physicians that are creating new treatment options that are less invasive and allow for quicker recovery than more traditional methods. Q: Do you feel that the role of nurses in radiology has changed over recent years? A: I do not think the role of nurses in radiology has changed, but rather their value to the department and specialty have increased as patients are coming to radiology with increasing co-morbidities and higher acuities. Q: What is the most important thing you've learned over the course of your career? A: Mentor! Up and down. Being mentored and mentoring others is imperative for career success. I was brought into radiology by a radiology technologist that mentored and trained me to be the best IR nurse I could be. His deep respect for nursing created a deep respect in me for radiology technologists. Mentors can be found in a multitude of areas and don't necessarily need to be in a similar position to be effective. Q: What advice do you have for others thinking of becoming radiologic nurses? A: Radiology is a great specialty with a number of modalities that provide extensive opportunities for growth. Critical care training is imperative as our patient populations become more acutely ill. Q: Why are nurses so beneficial to the radiology field? A: Radiology has experienced exponential growth in recent years as interventional procedures to treat and cure diseases have been implemented. Many of the patients undergoing procedures in interventional radiology are very ill and may not be stable to go to undergo traditional treatments. Nurses play an integral role in providing conscious sedation and ensuring safe care from pre to post procedure. |
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